800 club -- Danbury High cross country team notches 800th dual-meet victory

Published 11:39 pm, Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Danbury runners, from left, Ryan Ansel, Eric Waterman and Corey Mullins, runs down the final stretch in the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity Catholic at the Waveny Park course in New Canaan, Conn. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013. Mullins finished third, Ansel fourth and Waterman fifth, helping the Danbury boys team sweep the competition. The 4-0 performance Tuesday put the team over the 800 win mark.

Danbury runners, from left, Ryan Ansel, Eric Waterman and Corey Mullins, runs down the final stretch in the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity

Ridgefield's Will Bordash leads his teammate, Clint Corso, down the final stretch at the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity Catholic at the Waveny Park course in New Canaan, Conn. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013. Bordash won the boys overall with a time of 16:36 and Corso finished second with 16:40. less

Ridgefield's Will Bordash leads his teammate, Clint Corso, down the final stretch at the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity Catholic at the ... more

The Danbury boys team leaves the starting line in the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity Catholic at the Waveny Park course in New Canaan, Conn. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013. less

The Danbury boys team leaves the starting line in the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity Catholic at the Waveny Park course in New Canaan, Conn. ... more

New Canaan's Spencer Lyman, right, passes St. Joesph's James Mas down the final stretch at the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity Catholic at the Waveny Park course in New Canaan, Conn. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013. Lyman finished sixth overall and Mas finished seventh. The Danbury boys team swept the competition, passing the 800 win mark. less

New Canaan's Spencer Lyman, right, passes St. Joesph's James Mas down the final stretch at the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity Catholic at ... more

New Canaan's Emma Rosenstein, right, leads teammate Sarah Endres down the final stretch at the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity Catholic at the Waveny Park course in New Canaan, Conn. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013. Rosenstein and Endres finished first and second overall with times of 15:44 and 15:45, helping the New Canaan girls team sweep the competition. less

New Canaan's Emma Rosenstein, right, leads teammate Sarah Endres down the final stretch at the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity Catholic at ... more

Ridgefield's Hannah Mercorella leads a group of runners down the final stretch at the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity Catholic at the Waveny Park course in New Canaan, Conn. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013. Mercorella finished third overall with a time of 16:12. less

Ridgefield's Hannah Mercorella leads a group of runners down the final stretch at the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity Catholic at the Waveny ... more

Danbury's Sarah Krate, left, and Brittany Kenyon battle down the final stretch at the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity Catholic at the Waveny Park course in New Canaan, Conn. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013. Krate finished fifth overall with a time of 16:26 and Kenyon finished seventh with a time of 16:33. less

Danbury's Sarah Krate, left, and Brittany Kenyon battle down the final stretch at the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity Catholic at the Waveny ... more

(9) Ridgefield was the class of cross country teams in the state. The Tigers took the triple crown of titles, winning the FCIAC, Class LL, and State Open. "Ridgefield is unbelievable -- probably one of the best (schools) in the country," said Darien boys coach Tyson Kaczmarek.

(9) Ridgefield was the class of cross country teams in the state. The Tigers took the triple crown of titles, winning the FCIAC, Class LL, and State Open. "Ridgefield is unbelievable -- probably one of

Ridgefield's Clint Corso runs down the final stretch at the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity Catholic at the Waveny Park course in New Canaan, Conn. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013. Corso finished second overall with a time of 16:40. less

Ridgefield's Clint Corso runs down the final stretch at the FCIAC high school cross country meet between New Canaan, Danbury, Ridgefield, St. Joesph and Trinity Catholic at the Waveny Park course in New Canaan, ... more

800 club -- Danbury High cross country team notches 800th dual-meet victory

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NEW CANAAN -- The Danbuy High School boys cross country team has been running strong for 64 years now, and on Tuesday the Hatters sprinted past a major milestone.

With their sweep of New Canaan, St. Joseph, Ridgefield and Trinity Catholic at Waveny Park, the Hatters eclipsed the 800-win mark in dual-meet competition.

That doesn't even include the 23 conference championships, the seven Class LL state championships, the six State Open championships and the four New England championships the Hatters have collected since legendary coach Dan O'Grady started the program in 1950. Danbury's all-time dual-meet record is an eye-popping 801-112.

"It's great to be connected to the history of the program," said Danbury coach Rob Murray, a former Hatter runner himself and a member of the Class of 1988. "We talk a lot about the tradition of our program. We try to educate the kids about what Danbury High cross country has accomplished in the past and the great coaches who have come before me and the runners who have been All-Conference or All-State. I want them be aware of what has come before them so they can be proud to wear the Danbury uniform. It's neat to know that you're a part of that tradition that evolves year in and year out."

The milestone is not only a testament to the hard work and dedication of the current crop of Hatter stars, but to the runners in whose footsteps they now follow.

"When I ran, there was a great deal of pride in the success of the program. That was always stressed by Coach O'Grady," said Mark Goodwin, who won back-to-back FCIAC titles in 1967 and 1968, has enjoyed a long and successful coaching career and is currently coaching at Pomperaug. "Work hard and good things will happen. While we did not win the FCIAC title, we were always in the mix. Being in the mix every year is what makes the program what it is -- very successful."

The Danbury cross country team is more than a program, it's a family. And the elders in that family are quite proud of the fact that the winning tradition they helped build over the years is still going strong.

"From other people's point of view, this is just another high school sport, but it's so much more than that for the people on this team," said Danbury co-captain Rohit Das, who finished 12th in Tuesday's race. "It honestly prepares you for so many other things in life. The seriousness of the program disciplines you. The difficulty involved in it, the achievement involved in it, the failure involved in it all make you a stronger person."

However, the wins weren't always so plentiful for the Hatters, as Jim Ogden points out.

"I was there when the team had a losing season -- as far as I know, for the first time ever," recalled Ogden, the captain of the 1979 Danbury outdoor track team and a standout in cross country as well. "Coach O'Grady was not happy that season. I remember a coach from one of the other teams crying after a meet because it was the first time he had ever beaten Danbury. The team did bounce back and in my senior year. They won the FCIAC Western Division title, which was also Dan O'Grady's final season, so he had a fitting farewell season."

It's no coincidence that every coach who has followed in O'Grday's footsteps was once a runner for Danbury High. O'Grady coached from 1950-79. Bob Taborsak, a 1956 Danbury High graduate, took over for O'Grady in 1980. Marty Ogden of the Class of 1987 Murray followed Taborsak in 2000 and coached two years together, and Murray has been flying solo since 2002.

"It is arguably the top men's high school sports program in Connecticut," said former Hatter Tyler Kurjiaka, a member of the Class of 2002 and one of four brothers who came through the program. "While one would think that the athletes are to praise for this, I would hand the recognition to the coaching staff, which one could argue is the `X' factor as it's the most constant piece."

In Tuesday's race, Ridgefield's Will Bordash (16:36) and Clint Corso (16:40) claimed the top two spots at the end of the 5,000-meter course. After that, the Hatters took seven of the next 10 spots to seal the four victoryies and wrap up an undefeated regular season (18-0).

Up next for the Hatters is the FCIAC championship meet, set for Oct. 17 at Waveny Park (on a slightly different course from the one used for Tuesday's race). Danbury has won the title every year since 2005.